Ex-IDF chief: We must invade Gaza

Sunday, May 27, 2007 |
by Staff Writer

Former Israeli army chief Moshe Ya'alon said on Saturday that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is not a true peace partner, and that his inaction against Palestinian terrorism has left Israel with no choice but to invade the Gaza Strip.

In an interview with Israel's Channel 2 News, Ya'alon insisted that "the problem in Gaza will not be solved and no-one is going to solve it for us, not Egypt or any other international force."

What that means, stated Ya'alon, is that Israel must "get to the infrastructure of terror, to the terrorists and camps, and strike there. One has to be blind not to see the absolute necessity of entering Gaza."

Gaza-based Palestinian terrorists have fired some 250 rockets at civilian targets in southern Israel over the past two weeks, leaving many dead and wounded and causing widespread damage.

Ya'alon said that Abbas' failure to take action against the ongoing aggression proves he is "no partner for peace." The idea of solving the Middle East conflict by providing the Palestinians with a sovereign state is a "misguided concept," continued the former chief of staff.

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